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“Don’t think that a small group of committed individuals can’t change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

- Margaret Mead

I’ve just returned from a wonderful women-in-coaching conference hosted by the Coaching Association of Canada, where I was privileged to share experiences and trade secrets with high-performance female coaches.

It was inspiring, to say the least, and no surprise to discover the principals of training and performance remain consistent regardless of whether you are just off the couch or an Olympic athlete. From Tonya Verbeek, 3-time Olympian and Olympic wrestling medallist, who is now coaching Canada’s best: “There’s no substitute for commitment and hard work, the desire to be your best comes from within.”.

From Xiuli Wang, Canada’s Olympic speedskating coach, whose most decorated athletes include Clara Hughes, Olympic medallist on both skates and a bike: “Lessons learned — listen to your body. REST is the most important ingredient in a training program.” (That’s assuming you are sticking to a well-planned program!).

Lisa Haley, Canada’s assistant coach to our women’s Olympic hockey team, talked about creating a winning team despite adversity. Who will ever forget our Olympic women in Sochi, down two goals with three minutes to play against the Americans, and winning GOLD 3-2 in overtime! Her message: stay positive, never lose focus and never give up — no matter the situation.

On a personal level, I was privileged to meet Elizabeth Manley, Olympic silver medallist in figure skating. I will not forget the little spunky Canadian who stole the show in the women’s free skate at the Calgary Olympics many years ago, winning silver that day and proudly doing her victory skate in her white glittery cowboy hat! Her message was to “dream and believe in yourself, and never, ever let anyone tell you that you cannot do something you really want to do.” It was never about the medal, it was the journey of discovery and truth. All yours too in your commitment to health and wellness en route to your best day at the Vancouver Sun Run on Sunday, April 274.

You can do it!

For more on Sun Run InTraining and SportMed RunWalk, visit SportMedBC.com and facebook.com/sportmedbc.

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